‘Jobless Pinoys down to 8.7m in March’

By Vito Barcelo

ADULT joblessness in the Philippines was down to 19 percent or the equivalent of about 8.7 million Filipinos who are unemployed in the first quarter of the year, according to the latest survey released by pollster Social Weather Stations.

While the figure was 2.3 points below the 21.3 percent in December 2022 and seven points below the 26 percent in April 2022, it was still 1.5 points higher than the pre-pandemic record of 17.5 percent in December 2019.

SWS defines the labor force as adults, 18 years and above, who are presently with a job as well as those looking for a job.

Brace...

From A1

Mawar is forecast to continue intensifying in the next three days and may reach a peak intensity of 215 kph by Sunday.

PAGASA said the typhoon's rain bands may bring heavy rains over Cagayan Valley between Sunday and Tuesday next week.

A tropical cyclone wind signal may be hoisted in the coming days, as strong to gale-force conditions may be experienced in most areas of the region, except for Batanes-Babuyan Islands area which may have gale to storm-force conditions.

Mawar may also enhance the southwest monsoon, bringing rains over the western parts of Luzon and Visayas beginning Sunday or Monday.

Congress...

From A1 of priority measures determined by the President and the LEDAC and the House itself,” he added.

The Speaker said the measures “aim to support the President’s vision of keeping the economy on the high growth path and generating more jobs and income opportunities for our people.

House...

From A1 can approve it on second and third reading in the same week.

But Senator Francis Escudero said the proposed investment measure willnot pass before Congress adjourns next week unless the House adopts the Senate bill without going through a bicameral conference to iron out differences between the two bills.

Senator Mark Villar, principal author of the Senate version, said theDepartment of Finance (DOF) and the Bureau of Treasury have a lot of amendments that still have to be introduced as committee amendments.

"Will await a clean copy (of the bill)," he said.

On the other hand, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III saidhe will pose more questions during the interpellation period and deliver his “contra” speech before amendments.

On Wednesday night, during the interpellation of the bill, SenatorSherwin Gatchalian batted to exclude the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas as a source of capital, noting that it has yet to achieve its full capitalization.

He said the Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) are capable of providing the funds needed.

Escudero on the other hand, asked if the MIF will fund projects that cannot be funded by the General Appropriations Act. He also asked how the MIF could be profitable.

Villar answered that if a highway will be built, there can be a toll to earn money. A former Public Works secretary, Villar said the agency spends hugeamounts on the operation and maintenance of roads. If roads are fundedby MIF, on the other hand, there will be no need to get funds from the General Appropriations Act, he said.

Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, meanwhile, said it was a positivedevelopment that the President certified as urgent the Senate version of the Maharlika Investment Fund bill.

Gov’t...

From A1

PNR (Tutuban), and at the Manila North Harbor Terminal and Victory Liner Terminal in Pasay. Communications Secretary Cheloy

The survey was conducted from March 26 to 29 using face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adult respondents nationwide — 300 each in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Based on the results, the Labor Force Participation Rate was at 62.4 percent or 45.9 million.

Adult joblessness was highest in Bal-

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) is anticipating that eight airports will be affected by Mawar.

Those airports include Tuguegarao Airport, Basco Airport, Itbayat Airport, Cauayan Airport, and Palanan Airport, according to CAAP.

Additionally, airports in Laoag, Vigan, and Baguio are also gearing up for possible harsh weather.

As of Thursday, CAAP Tuguegarao Airport assisted in the delivery of 1,000 boxes of relief goods from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DWSD) Region 2 through C-130 aircraft from Tuguegarao to Basco Airport in preparation for the coming typhoon.

In a message, CAAP Area Center 2 Manager Mary Sulyn Sagorsor said precautionary measures are being undertaken by Tuguegarao Airport for the coming super typhoon, such as clearing of water-

Measures that have been approved by the House on third and final reading include: Magna Carta of Seafarers, EGovernance Act / E Government Act, creation of the Negros Island Region, Virology Institute of the Philippines, Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act, National Disease Prevention Management Authority or Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Medical Reserve Corps, Philippine Passport Act, Internet Transaction Act ance Luzon at 21.7 percent; followed by Mindanao (19 percent), Metro Manila (17.5 percent), and the Visayas (13.5 percent).

He said this is the best possible time to establish the fund for two reasons.

“First, the Maharlika Investment Fund will strengthen the economy’sresilience through investment-led growth. This is especially pertinent now amid a possible slowdown in the world economy, which the IMF predicts will grow by a mere 2.8 percent this year,” he said.

He said while the country’s macroeconomic fundamentals are intact, the government must take advantage of robust instruments to cement the growth momentum through investments in strategic, economically viable, and highimpact infrastructure and other development projects.

“And second, this is an opportune time to take advantage of the ample liquidity of our government financial institutions, which have investible funds,” Diokno said.

In his letter to Zubiri on May 22, the President tagged as high priority Senate Bill 2020 or the proposed MIF bill. Certifying the bill as urgent will allow the Senate to forgo thethree-day rule as mandated by the 1987 Constitution between the proposed measure’s second and third reading.

In the Senate version of the bill, the fund’s initial capital will come from the Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines, dividends from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp, and from the privatization of government assets.

The proposed Maharlika Investment Corporation will also be allowed to issue bonds.

There will also be limitations in relation to investments in real estate, which shall be limited to major capital projects, as endorsed by the National Economic and Development Authority Board, to ensure that these are in line with the government’s socio-economicdevelopment programs.

Other changes are new provisions with the forms of joint ventures and coinvestments on the issuance of bonds as well as to the board of directors to reflect nine permanent members, instead of the original 15.

Garafil said the Philippine Gazette would be a monthly publication.

"The newspaper will serve as a bridge to deliver to Filipinos information about the programs and projects of the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.,” the PCO said in a statement.

The survey noted that compared to December 2022 figures, the quarterlyjoblessness fell from 24.8 percent in Metro Manila, 23.1 percent in Balance Luzon, and 18.6 percent in the Visayas.

However, it hardly moved from 18.1 percent to 19 percent in Mindanao.

SWS added that joblessness stayed higher among women at 30.2 percent than among men at 11.6 percent.

“Compared to December 2022, joblessness fell from 15.2 percent among men while it hardly moved from 29.7 percent among women,” it said.

As of March 2023, joblessness was highest among the 18-to-24-year-olds ways and canals and cutting or pruning of branches of trees near the Passenger Terminal Building, especially at the arrival area and other areas inside the airport’s premises.

CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio said airport personnel are positioned and ready to implement necessary measures to safeguard the facilities and ensure the safety of passengers.

“CAAP-operated airports are often well-prepared in the event of flight delays or possible cancellations brought by natural calamities, and utmost care is usually provided to affected passengers,” he said.

In other developments:

• The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) announced it alerted all of its search, rescue and retrieval units for possible humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) operations

/ E Commerce Law, Waste-to-Energy Bill, Free Legal Assistance for Police and Soldiers, Apprenticeship Act, BuildOperate-Transfer (BOT) Law, Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers, Valuation Reform, Eastern Visayas Development Authority, Leyte Ecological Industrial Zone, Government Financial Institutions Unified Initiatives to Distressed Enterprises for Economic Recovery, National Citizens Service Training Program, and National Government

Queen..

From A1

Long before she snowballed into a global phenomenon, Turner's early career – originally as a soul and R&B siren – was a roller coaster for the singer, who admitted attempting suicide at the height of Ike's physical and emotional abuse.

Tina fled Ike in 1976, dashing across a highway to escape during aconcert tour. Her divorce was finalized in 1978, and she was left with nothing but her stage name.

But the rock star dream still gnawed at her.

"How can I fill stadiums?" Turner wondered, in comments played during her 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction.

"I wanted it. I wanted to do what Jagger and all the other guys at the time were doing."

Those dreams were fulfilled, and then some, when she struck crossover gold with her 1984 album "Private Dancer," whose Grammy-winning smash single "What's Love Got to Do With It" propelled her to superstardom at age 44.

Four years later, she set the record for largest paying attendance ofa performance by a solo artist when her Rio concert crowd topped 180,000.

As a Black woman who embraced rock over 1950s doo-wop and 1960s Motown, Turner was a double outsider. But she wrote – and then rewrote– the rule book for women in the genre.

"A Black woman owning the stage all by herself: that's the dream right there," singer and rapper Lizzo said of Turner.

Turner sold more than 100 million records worldwide, according to Billboard, and paved the way for performers like Janet Jackson, Madonna and Beyonce.

"I never in my life saw a woman so powerful, so fearless, so fabulous," Beyonce told Turner from the Kennedy Center stage in a 2005 Tina tribute. "And those legs!"

Turner, born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26, 1939 in Brownsville, Tennessee, and her sister grew up in a family of modest means but conditions worsened when they were abandoned by at 36 percent, followed by the 25-to-34year-olds at 23.8 percent, those 45 years old and above at 15.9 percent, and the 35-to-44-year-olds at 11.7 percent. The March 2023 survey found joblessness higher in urban areas at 21.6percent than in rural areas at 14.6 percent. Compared to December 2022, joblessness fell from 21.2% in rural areas while it hardly moved from 21.3% in urban areas. This widened the urban-rural joblessness gap from 0.1 points to 7 points. The urban-rural joblessness gap was double-digit in only 10 out of 117 surveys since September 1993. in areas that might be affected by the looming Super Typhoon Mawar. AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar said vehicles and personnel are being prepared to assist in the mandatory evacuation of residents in vulnerable areas. Aguilar added that air and naval assets are also on standby for deployment for future aerial assessment, transport, and evacuation operations.

Joblessness peaked at 45.5 percent in July 2020. It went on a generally downward trend from September 2020 to December 2022, reaching as low as 18.6% in October 2022.

• The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is on red alert status and ready for the possible onslaught of Typhoon Mawar. MMDA chairman Romando Artes said the agency’s Urban Search and Rescue Team composed of 20 men trained in water search and rescue operations is now on standby to render assistance in road clearing, rescue and quick response, traffic management, and other operations to different areas in the National Capital Region their father, and then their mother.

Rightsizing.

Also finally passed and sent to the Senate is the Maharlika Investment or Sovereign Fund bill, authored principally by Speaker Romualdez, which the President has certified as urgent.

Two more bills are scheduled for House approval on third and final reading: the Bureau of Immigration Modernization Act and the Philippine Salt Industry Act.

When the grandmother who helped raise them died, Anna Mae moved in with relatives in St. Louis, Missouri at age 16.

There she met Ike Turner, a guitarist and bandleader eight years her senior who had already tasted fame, having written and recorded what was arguably the first rock and roll record, "Rocket 88," in 1951.

She convinced Ike to let her sing with him.

When he scored a 1960 hit with her lead vocals on "A Fool in Love," he gave her the stage name Tina Turner, and the pair performed as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. By 1962, they were married.

From early on, Tina was the fiery, dominant presence, stealing the limelight with a blend of thick, textured vocals, haunting howls and mesmerizing dance moves.

The Turner oeuvre reflected their personal tensions: it included "I Idolize You," "It's Gonna Work Out Fine," and their most famous number, a 1970 cover of "Proud Mary," in which Tina purrs about starting the song "nice and easy," but finishing it "nice and rough."

Even as she exuded raw sexual power as a performer, her singing was tinged with a palpable vulnerability.

"You sing with those emotions because you've had pain in your heart," Turner told Rolling Stone magazine in 1986.

After leaving Ike, she toiled in Las Vegas shows, released modestly selling solo records and toured heavily in Europe.

But with the success of 1984's "Private Dancer," her metamorphosis from manipulated co-star to resurrected rock goddess was complete.

The next year, she was onstage at Live Aid in Philadelphia for a memorable encounter with Jagger, who ripped off Turner's black leather miniskirt midperformance, revealing her in fishnet stockings and a leotard.

Turner grinned and ran fingers through her lion's mane of hair.

"I know, it's only rock and roll but I like it!" she belted out.

She starred opposite Mel Gibson in a Hollywood blockbuster, "Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome;" co-wrote a

PNP...

From A1 will be met with “swift consequences,” such as being relieved from their post and being charged administratively under the doctrine of command responsibility, Acorda said. Acorda said that the one-strike policy will be applicable to